“Inside the mirrors…The dead live on…Waiting for vengeance. When a young woman is brutally murdered in front of a mirror that is a portal to the world of the undead, her spirit goes on a murderous rampage. One by one, she stalks the men and women responsible for her horrific death, exacting bloody revenge by dismembering and eviscerating the guilty. They can’t run…They can’t hide…They can’t look in the mirror!”

“Mirrors 2” is unrated.

Mini-Review:I never saw the first “Mirrors,” so I questioned whether or not I’d be able to follow “Mirrors 2.” Fortunately, it was not a problem at all. This is a self-contained story and it has very little reference to its predecessor.

But I found the story so basic that it made me realize that every horror movie follows the same simple formula. They’re all about answering the following questions:

1. Is the killer supernatural or human/natural?2. What created this killer?3. What is the killer’s motivation for killing? (Revenge? Food? Pleasure?)4. Will any of the victims survive at the end of the film?

Everything else is about killing the cast of characters in grisly, graphic, and occasionally comedic ways. Maybe that’s oversimplifying the horror genre, but “Mirrors 2” follows it pretty closely.

Max Matheson works as a night watchman at his father’s department store which is about to be opened. One by one, employees at the store are being killed in horrific ways when they see their reflections in mirrors or other surfaces. The rest of the film follows Max trying to figure out why this supernatural menace (See Question #1) is killing everyone in the store and who may be next (See Question #3). When he figures out the answer to Question #2, he’ll have all the pieces of the puzzle that he needs. The remaining question is figuring out who survives till the end.

So that just leaves the killings. They’re done somewhat creatively because they play on phobias and fears that people have. The first killing features a character chewing on shards of glass. The second killing features getting cut in a glass shower. You start getting the idea. If you have a fear of being cut by broken glass or knives, this will make you squirm. But is it anything we haven’t seen before? Not really.

This movie confirms my theory that at one point or another, every Disney female starlet will appear nude either in the movies or in the tabloids. In this movie, Christy Romano from “Kim Possible” and “Even Stevens” leaves little to the imagination as she’s killed in the shower scene. It’s a shame that they feel the need to do this to be taken seriously as an actress. But I’d say it’s a safe bet that Hannah Montana will be baring all at some point in the future in a desperate effort to be taken seriously.

I’ll also add that as a fan of “The Greatest American Hero,” it’s fun to see William Katt on the screen again. He’s almost unrecognizable at first.

If you’re a horror aficionado then you may find “Mirrors 2” worth checking out. It’s not bad, but it’s not memorable either. As far as straight-to-video sequels go, it could have been a lot worse.

The DVD has a modest but solid selection of bonus features. There’s a “making of” featurette featuring interviews with the cast and crew. They discuss the challenges of making a sequel, shooting in Louisiana, the characters, and other fun stuff. “Keeping It Real: The Visual and Special effects of Mirrors 2” is pretty self explanatory. They show the practical and CG effects in some detail. There are a few deleted scenes, too. But a big highlight is that they included the original Korean film “Into the Mirror” on the disc. Horror fans should love that.